Coate (surname)

Coate is a surname of multiple purposed origins, most of which from Old and Middle English. It may have begun as a way to refer to someone who dwelled in a small cottage, potentially coming from the surname Cot.[1] It is also said to have emerged as a locational surname for people from various locations in Britain that have names derived from the word cottage, such as Coat, Somerset, Coate, Wiltshire, and Cote, Oxfordshire.[2] These instances could be closely connected to the surname Coates, as the two surnames would morph into each other due to pluralization and singularization.[3] In addition to words for cottages, Coate may derive from Old English terms for animal pens, potentially denoting a connection or proximity to an enclosure for livestock.[4] It is theorized that the name owes some of its prevalence to association with the garment coat.[5]

The surname can also occur as the result of the Americanization of similar sounding German surnames, such as Koth.[3]

Nationally, the United States has the most recorded instances of people with the surname Coate, and Australia has the highest proportion of its population that bears the surname.[6]

Notable people with the surname include:

See also

References

  1. ^ Baring-Gould, S. (1990). Family names and their story. Detroit: Omnigraphics. ISBN 1558888438.
  2. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter (2016). The Oxford dictionary of family names in Britain and Ireland (First ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom ; New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 531. ISBN 9780198798811.
  3. ^ a b Dictionary of American family names (Second ed.). Osford, United Kingdom ; New York: Oxford University Press. 2022. ISBN 9780190245122.
  4. ^ Harrison, Henry; Pulling, Gyđa (1912). Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary, v.1. London: The Eaton Press.
  5. ^ Weekley, Ernest (July 1917). Surnames (2nd ed.). London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ "Coate". Forebears. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
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